Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki), Part B

Reading Japanese Fairy Tales Part B, I found the story most eligible for retelling to be that of "The Goblin of Adachigahara." In this tale, a Buddhist monk, worn out from his travels and looking for a place to stay the night, unwittingly happens upon the cottage of a man-eating goblin disguised as an old woman. He asks to be allowed to stay the night and the old woman obliges. The two eat dinner together, and the old woman goes out to get more firewood. Before she leaves, she instructs him not to look in the back room. Of course, after waiting a long time for her to return, the monk's curiosity gets the best of him and he goes to look. There he finds the remains of the goblin's victims. The monk is frozen with fear at first, but realizing what will happen to him if he stays, he takes off running. The old woman sees him and, transforming into her goblin form, chases after him. The monk runs as hard as he can, repeating a prayer to Buddha all the while. As his legs are about to fail him, the sun comes up and the goblin disappears, leaving him to live another day.

The goblin disguised as an old woman in this story reminded me of one of the most famous figures of Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga. A retelling of this story could be set in 18th or 19th century Russia, with the Buddhist monk being replaced with an Orthodox one and the goblin being Baba Yaga. Of course, Baba Yaga's chicken-legged hut would have to be incorporated somehow...

Story Source: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki

Baba Yaga (1900) by Ivan Bilibin. Source: WikiMedia Commons